Amaranth filmmaker directs latest Heritage Minute

Heritage minute

An Amaranth native has helped craft the return of the Heritage Minutes to Canadian television.
Tess Girard, of Fifth Town Films, has directed the first Heritage Minute created in seven years.
The 60-second flick features the efforts of Richard Pierpoint, a black loyalist who petitioned for the creation of an all-African military unit to fight the Americans in the War of 1812.
“It was kind of a tall order because the Heritage Minutes have been part of our popular culture for so many years,” Girard said. “They’re part of my generation growing up.”
Fifth Town Films answered a call for submissions from Historica-Dominion Institute to create the reintroduced historical shorts.
“It was quite a competitive process,” said Girard, who has also had films featured at the Toronto International Film Festival and Hot Docs.
“We really wanted to tell the stories of everyday people’s contributions to the War of 1812.”
Heritage Minutes have been in production for about 20 years. Fifth Town Film Films was able to continue the same feel as previous instalments, while providing a modern touch, according to Historica-Dominion Institute president Anthony Wilson-Smith.
“Fifth Town brought a great combination of the understanding of what the minutes were inherently all about and the spirit behind them,” Wilson-Smith said. “They had the ability to freshen them up. An ability to make them into something that in 2012, looks right at home.”
In an effort to recreate the familiar tone of the Heritage Minutes, Girard watched all 66 of the previous chapters.
“I tried to go with that tone, as well as modernize it and update it so it would be fitting for today’s times,” Girard said.
“They have extremely great storytelling, especially for the one-minute medium. Some are really artfully done.”
In 1760, Pierpoint was captured by slave traders in what is now known as Senegal, and taken to New England. At age 16, a British officer purchased him as a slave.
Pierpoint joined the British army, sixteen years later, in their fight at Fort Niagara against the American Rebels in exchange for his post-war freedom.
Although the British lost the war, Pierpoint was taken to Upper Canada, where he became a free man.
“He’s a fascinating character, he’s such a complex character. Even in our time he would still be an amazing person,” Girard said. “He lived such a trying life and had such determination that it was something we felt was important to highlight.”
When the Americans declared war on the British in 1812 and attempted to capture the Canadian Colonies, Pierpoint sent his petition requesting the creation of the Coloured Corps of Upper Canada.
Although its creation was originally denied, once created, the unit fought in numerous key battles of the war.
Pierpoint requested a boat ticket home to Senegal in exchange for his war efforts. His request was denied and he was given a 100-acre plot of land near Fergus. He died at age 94 and was buried on his land.
Condensing his life into 60 seconds was a difficult task for Girard.
“It’s very hard to tell in a minute, especially his story,” she said. “We can only contain so much in one minute.”
However, Girard hopes the minute-long film lets Canadians know of Pierpoint’s existence.
“Richard Pierpoint was an unlikely hero. I think it’s important that everyone knows about him,” Girard said.
“We didn’t want to talk about people like General Brock, who was an amazing person himself, but you can find out so much information about him,” she added.
Girard also directed the next instalment of the Heritage Minute, which will be released in July.
Her second Heritage Minute features the story of Queenston Heights, where 80 First Nations warriors held off about 1,000 advancing American forces.
“It’s one of the decisive battles in the War of 1812,” Wilson-Smith said of the battle's significance.
Girard enrolled in her first video course at Centre Dufferin District Secondary School in Shelburne.
“From there, I was quite interested in making films,” she explained. “I was into photography, music and did a lot of creative writing, so filmmaking felt like something that combined all of those interests.”
Though her film career is now based out of Toronto and Prince Edward County, Girard returned to Dufferin County to film her latest work, A Simple Rhythm.
“It’s absolutely beautiful, I always wanted to go back,” she said of the area. “It’s somewhere that really affected my visual vocabulary.”
To view the Pierpoint Heritage Minute, visit gotaminute.ca.